The present invention relates to an automatic watering device for plants which are grown in the home or in a greenhouse and more particularly, to an improved automatic watering device responsive to water loss by the plants.
There are many types of automatic plant watering apparatuses which are well known in the prior art which utilize a system which is actuated in response to water loss by the plants. However, these apparatuses suffer from a number of disadvantages such as, for example, requiring complex mechanisms to operate and being difficult to install in that a variety of complex methods are required to assemble them. Several types are provided with an elevated water reservoir with a spring loaded valve therein which is actuated by the loss of weight of water by the plants in a container supported by the spring. Since the springs lose their strength as the temperature increases, plants are frequently overwatered on hot days. In addition, there are several types of apparatuses which utilizes a counter weight member such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,934. Such apparatuses, however, are used with a plant container which must be placed on the floor or ground. They cannot be utilized with plant containers which must be hung from a ceiling, a wall or the like.